County outline
Where Beaufort County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 86.5% of Beaufort County’s measured area and water for 13.5%. Its combined area converts to 2,493.8 square kilometers or approximately 616,223 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 832.709 | 2,156.706 | 532,933.8 |
| Water | 130.139 | 337.058 | 83,289 |
| Total | 962.848 | 2,493.765 | 616,222.7 |
How Beaufort County compares
By original Census land area, Beaufort County ranks #8 of 100 in North Carolina and #1010 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.809 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 1.7% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Beaufort County
The Census Bureau estimates that 44,670 people lived in Beaufort County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,120 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #59 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 44,655, the population has grown by 15 (+0%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 832.7 square miles of land, that is 54 people per square mile (21 per km²), placing Beaufort County #1,484 nationally for density and #82 in North Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Carolina median is 116. Put another way, there are about 12 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 44,694 | 44,497 | 44,358 | 44,508 | 44,730 | 44,670 |
| Change | — | −197 | −139 | +150 | +222 | −60 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Beaufort County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Beaufort County. Together they are home to 13,316 people (29.8%); the other 31,354 (70.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Washington city, with 9,910 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Belhaven town grew fastest since then (+0.1%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington cityCounty seat | 9,910 | −1.5% | 8.017 |
| Belhaven town | 1,414 | +0.1% | 1.59 |
| Chocowinity town | 751 | 0% | 1.289 |
| Aurora town | 454 | −0.2% | 0.928 |
| Washington Park town | 383 | −1.8% | 0.264 |
| Bath town | 243 | −0.8% | 0.357 |
| Pantego town | 161 | −0.6% | 0.803 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Beaufort County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Beaufort County is a central county of the Washington, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. Beaufort County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 832.7 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #245 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #278 by population. It belongs to the Greenville-Washington, NC Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Beaufort County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
278062780827810278142781727821278342783727860278652787127889278922796228586
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Beaufort County
Beaufort County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Craven County (706.5 mi²) and the smallest is Pamlico County (336.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Beaufort County forms a block of 3,943.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Beaufort | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craven County | 706.5 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Pitt County | 652.4 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Hyde County | 612.3 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Martin County | 456.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Washington County | 346.5 | 2.4× smaller | Compare |
| Pamlico County | 336.5 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Beaufort County compared with U.S. states?
Beaufort County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 58 areas the size of Beaufort County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 28.9 miles (46.4 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Beaufort County?
Beaufort County has more land than 2,212 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Beaufort County at #826 nationally by total area, 184 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 13.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 12.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Beaufort County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1009 | Madison County, Arkansas | 834.3 | Compare |
| #1010 | Beaufort County, North Carolina | 832.7 | This county |
| #1011 | Kingsbury County, South Dakota | 832.2 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 35.482313, -76.842014. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,156,705,879 m²; AWATER: 337,058,742 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Beaufort County?
Beaufort County, North Carolina has 832.7 square miles (2,156.7 km²) of land and 130.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 962.8 square miles. It ranks #1010 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Beaufort County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Beaufort County ranks #8 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Beaufort County?
Beaufort County shares a land border with Pitt County, Pamlico County, Martin County, Craven County, Hyde County, and Washington County.
What is the population of Beaufort County?
The Census Bureau estimates Beaufort County had 44,670 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,120 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 54 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Beaufort County?
The county seat of Beaufort County is Washington.
What cities and towns are in Beaufort County?
Beaufort County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Washington city, Belhaven town, Chocowinity town, Aurora town, and Washington Park town; 31,354 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Beaufort County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Washington, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Beaufort County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Beaufort County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Beaufort County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Beaufort County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 532,934 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 616,223 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.